


Coach Bittle Looks at Himself

by JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coach has thoughts, M/M, Spoilers, Year 4 response
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle/pseuds/JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle
Summary: What might have happened before Episode 04-13,Coach IV.





	Coach Bittle Looks at Himself

**Author's Note:**

> _What might have happened before Episode 04-13, [Coach IV](http://checkpleasecomic.com/comic/4-13-01)._

Rick set his beer down on the desk with a thunk and settled into the chair.

He’d intended on sitting down at the hotel bar, but they had SportsCenter on, and he found his eyes turning toward the TV and his mind turning away from his son.

That boy. 

What did he want? A parade?

He and Suzanne hadn’t said a word to Junior about kissing a man on TV – with no warning whatsoever, mind you – and expecting them just to be okay with it. Suzanne had sent Rick up here with instructions to invite Junior and Jack down for Christmas, for chrissake.

And he had come all the way up here to watch Junior play. That had to count for something.

So Junior wanted him to say Jack was his boyfriend? Fine, but after that display in June it hardly seemed necessary.

Rick took a gulp of the beer and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked nothing like Junior, or Junior looked nothing like him. Took after his mother in that department, too, just like with the baking and all.

Normally, Rick would have joked that Junior was lucky to get Suzanne’s looks. She was a beautiful woman. Had been way back when, all those years ago, and she still was.

And Junior had those same good looks – the blond hair, the big brown eyes, even the trim, compact frame – even if he was smaller than most boys his age. And he dressed snappy, too, always looked put-together. That was a skill Rick never had. Lucky Rick could wear school polos and sweaters with khakis most every day.

But when Rick dropped Junior off tonight, he was drooping. His face was cast down, and Rick thought they were angry with each other. Maybe he was wrong about that, though. Maybe Junior was hurt. Maybe he thought Rick wanted him to be like Rick was.

Well, Rick knew that ship had sailed years ago – when Junior refused to get up after being tackled on the football field, or even earlier, when he spent hours learning how to make a pie crust in his MooMaw’s kitchen.

The attempt at football, well, that had maybe been Rick trying to find some point of contact, something they had in common. Something besides a last name and a conviction that Suzanne was the best woman on God’s green earth.

Of course it hadn’t worked, and Rick had backed off. Left the boy to his Mama and MooMaw, for the most part. When he wanted to sign up for skating, Rick had agreed, and when he started to get good, Rick signed the checks.

No, he didn’t make it to many of the competitions, but that was because they mostly happened during football season. On weekends. When Rick had to do his actual job, which paid for Junior’s ice time and coaching fees.

The ones he did go to, well, what Junior did was mighty impressive, even if Rick couldn’t tell a toe loop from an axel.

Then Junior’d had all that trouble with the boys in middle school, and Lord, Rick had never wanted to do violence to children more. Suzanne had gone to pick Junior up when Roberto called after finding him in the janitor’s closet, and when she got home and Rick had seen Junior running up to his room with his eye blacked, his jeans torn, his face filthy … it was all Rick could do to not go find the boys responsible and tan their hides himself.

He did talk to the principal, and to the ringleader’s parents, but it hadn’t done any good. Boys will be boys, he was told. And why don’t you make your kid act more like one?

It was enough to set Rick to looking for a job in another town, enough to move the family a couple of years later. Rick hoped things would be easier for Junior; he knew Junior’s decision to stop figure skating made things easier for the family, budget-wise and time-wise.

Rick thought that things were, if not really better, at least not so bad in Madison. Junior wasn’t the kind of kid who would ever be named homecoming king, but he held his head high nonetheless. And things did get better when he started playing hockey. Made some friends, too.

Then Junior said he wanted to go to school a thousand miles away, and about broke his mother’s heart. Not that she didn’t want him to go. Suzanne told Rick Junior had to go, it would be better for him. And she told him he was never coming back, not to live.

Turned out she had been right. She was right about most things.

It was Suze who insisted Rick make this trip by himself.

“Dicky needs to know you’re proud of him,” she said. “That you love him.”

“‘Course I love him,” Rick said. “He knows that.”

“Doesn’t hurt to say it,” Suzanne said.

“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t a bit put out at what he pulled,” Rick said. “On TV. After Jack was here the summer before. He coulda said something. And he told you they were together then.”

Suzanne shrugged.

“He could’ve,” she said. “But he didn’t. I’m not sure who he thought he was protecting.”

“Him or Jack?”

“Maybe us,” Suzanne said. “So we wouldn’t wonder what we did wrong to have him turn out gay.”

“Suze, you know that ain’t how it works,” Rick said. “You know it, and I know it, and I’m pretty sure Junior knows it.”

“But he probably didn’t know we knew,” Suzanne said. “Not like we ever talked about it with him.”

“What was there to say?” Rick asked.

But he booked the ticket to come up here anyway, and now he’d made things worse. Junior thought Rick thought there was something wrong with him, that he was messed up.

Junior could be a bit of an idiot, Coach wouldn’t argue with that, but no more than most 21-year-old boys who thought they knew how the world worked. Maybe he did know more about the way it worked now. In his day, there were boys who liked boys, but it wasn’t something you talked about. Probably it was better this way.

Otherwise, Junior was a good boy, a good man, he should say. Smart and kind and honorable in his dealings with the world, and a heckuva athlete. When his hockey coach bragged on him, Rick was fit to burst his buttons.

This thing with Jack – well, Rick would like to get to know Jack more if this was going to be serious. He knew most kids Junior’s age didn’t stay with their college sweethearts, but it could happen. It had for him and Suzanne.

Who wanted him to deliver the invitation for Jack to come for Christmas. Seemed like he’d failed in that mission as well. Junior never let him get the words out.

His flight wasn’t until the afternoon tomorrow. He could go to bed now and try again in the morning. Try telling Junior he loved him, and not just because he was supposed to. And make sure Junior knew Jack was welcome in their home. Yes. He could do that.


End file.
